Irene Makes Landfall Near Cape Lookout, North Carolina

hurricane irene news and updates

BOSTON, Aug. 27, 2011 – According to catastrophe modeling firm AIR Worldwide, the eye of Hurricane Irene made landfall near Cape Lookout, North Carolina at about 7:30 am EDT, Saturday, August 27. As of the National Hurricane Center’s (NHC) 11:00 am advisory, Irene-now a Category 1 storm (down from Category 2 status yesterday)- Irene is moving to the north-northeast at about 15 mph, and this forward motion is expected to continue over the next 24 hours. “Maximum sustained winds are near 85 mph,” said Dr. Tim Doggett, principal scientist, AIR…

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AIR Worldwide Estimates Insured Losses in the Caribbean from Hurricane Irene at

BOSTON, Aug. 26, 2011 -AIR Worldwide estimates that insured losses in the Caribbean from Hurricane Irene will be between USD 500 million and USD 1.1 billion. AIR expects the Bahamas will account for more than 60% of the insured loss-between USD 300 million and USD 700 million. This estimate includes wind and precipitation-induced flood damage to insured onshore residential, commercial and industrial properties (and their contents), automobiles, and business interruption losses in the Bahamas, Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic, Turks and Caicos, and other Caribbean territories. Hurricane Irene has exited the…

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Hurricane Irene Batters Bahamas on Way toward U.S. East Coast

BOSTON, Aug. 25, 2011 – According to catastrophe modeling firm AIR Worldwide, Hurricane Irene is passing through the central Bahamas islands this morning after a night of battering the southern islands with heavy rains and strong winds. At the time of the National Hurricane Center’s 8:00 am EDT Advisory, Category 3 Hurricane Irene was about 65 miles east-northeast of Nassau, the capital and largest city of the Bahamas. Irene’s maximum sustained winds are 115 miles per hour with higher gusts. Hurricane-force winds extend outward up to 70 miles from the…

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Irene Becomes First Hurricane of the 2011 Atlantic Hurricane Season

According to catastrophe modeling firm AIR Worldwide, Irene became the Atlantic basin’s first hurricane of the 2011 season when its winds strengthened to 75 miles per hour at about 5:00 AM Monday morning as it was exiting Puerto Rico’s northern coast. Currently a Category 1 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale with sustained winds of 80 mph, Irene is expected to strengthen further over the next few days, potentially reaching Category 3 status by Saturday, depending on how long it remains over the ocean. “Hurricane Irene is the ninth…

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U.S. to be a “weather-ready” nation as the federal government takes measures to guard against destructive weather

To date, the cost of natural disasters befalling the U.S. has reached $35 billion. The year is not yet over and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) predicts several turbulent storms crowding the horizon. While there can be no guarantee whether these storms will actually come to pass, the federal government is not willing to suffer more losses at the hands of nature. NOAA, along with the National Weather Service, is now tasked with making the nation “weather-ready.” The initiative aims to provide protection to communities throughout the nation…

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